Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1598
Delivered on Lord’s-Day Morning, May 15, 1881
“But you should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?” Job 19:28.
You will always understand a passage of Scripture better if you carefully attend to its connection. The habit of picking out portions from the Bible and separating them from their context may be carried a great deal too far and in the process the reader may miss the mind of the Spirit and force upon the words a meaning of his own. If we were to treat men’s books as we do God’s Book we would, probably, be judged to be insane! It is, indeed, a wonderful Book to bear such mangling! Every sensible person will see that it must always be wise to study the context, for it is likely enough to cast a light upon the passage in hand.
Job, in the verse before us, is answering Bildad the Shuhite. Now, this Bildad on two occasions had described Job as a hypocrite and accounted for his dire distress by the fact that, though hypocrites may flourish for a time, they will ultimately be destroyed. In the two bitter speeches which he made, he described the hypocrite under the figure of a tree which is torn up by the roots, or dim even down to the root. In his first address, in the 8th chapter and the 16th verse, he says of the hypocrite, “He is green before the sun and his branch shoots forth in his garden. His roots are wrapped about the heap and sees the place of stones. If he destroys him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen you.” Even the very root of the hypocrite was to be pulled up, so that the garden in which he once flourished should not remember that he had ever been there!
“No,” says Job, “I am no hypocrite. I will prove it by your own words, for the root of the matter is still in me and, therefore, I am no hypocrite. Though I admit that I have lost branches, leaves, fruit and flowers, yet I have not lost the root of the matter, for I hold the essential faith as firmly as ever and, therefore, by your own argument, I am no hypocrite. You should say, ‘Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?’” There is, then, dear Friends, a something in true religion which is its essential root. It has fundamental matters which cannot be dispensed with under any circumstances. Some things pertain to godliness, are useful as ornaments, pleasant and desirable, yet these may be absent and still there may be the truth of religion in the soul!
But there is a something which cannot be absent in any case without its being certain that the man is not a true child of God. There is a something which is vital, without which there is no spiritual life. Of this essential thing we are going to speak, this morning, as we are enabled by the Holy Spirit. Job derived comfort from the fact that the root of the matter was in him, whatever his accusers might say, and I trust that others will be encouraged as they, too, shall find that the root of the matter is in them. It will be pleasant to my heart to cheer the fainting and equally so if I can lead my stronger Brethren to deal tenderly with such.
I. Our first thought will be that THIS ROOT OF THE MATTER MAY BE CLEARLY DEFINED. We are not left in the dark as to what the essential point of true religion is—it can be laid down with absolute certainty. True, there has been considerable disputing over the phrase before us and questions have been raised as to what Job meant by, “the root
of the matter,” but I conceive that if we read the verse in its own connection, apart from any extraneous suggestion, there will be no doubt about its meaning. Commence at the 25th verse and read on as Job spoke—he tells us plainly what is “the root of the matter.” Here it is—“I know that my Redeemer lives and He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself and my eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins are consumed within me.”
This knowledge of the Redeemer is evidently the root of the matter. Come, then, let us look more closely into this choice confession of faith! I shall not attempt to expound this golden utterance, but I shall glance at it with the one objective of showing what Job considered to be the essence of true religion. And, first, it is clear that “the root of the matter” is firm faith in the Redeemer! It is to be able to say from the inmost heart, “I know that my Redeemer lives.” Not, “I think so,” but, “I know”—for saving faith is certain and the true Believer is a positive. Faith abhors conjectures! It will not put its foot down upon fictions, but rests upon matters offact! Faith never deals in the fancy goods of opinion, theory, speculation or probability—she searches for the priceless pearl of certainty—she must know!
Such was the faith of Job and he expresses it in firm, decided, clear language, saying—“I know that my Redeemer lives.” This faith was an appropriating one, so that Job took to himself the Redeemer. “I know that my Redeemer lives,” laying hold upon the lord to be unto him all that He was meant to be, namely, a Redeemer who would set him at liberty from his misery! He embraced the Redeemer as his own and believed that he would be raised by Him from the pit of corruption. Come, Brothers and Sisters, have we such a faith as this? Have we a faith which knows that there is a Savior able to redeem and sure to accomplish the work?